Start
Aug 03, 2017 - 17:00
End
Aug 03, 2017 - 18:00
Venue
Rm. No. 118 Ground floor Chemical Engg. Dept.
Event Type
Speaker
Prof. Kantimay Das Gupta Department of Physics IIT Bombay
Title
Playing with coupled oscillators.
Abstract: Two or more self-sustaining coupled non-linear oscillators are able to synchronize their motion and maintain this state indefinitely even when their natural frequencies are slightly different. This happens without the need of any external periodic force which distinguishes this phenomena from resonance. We have been working on an experimental setup and an associated mathematical model where two tunable mechanical oscillators can be stabilized in either synchronized or an anti-synchronized state by varying the system parameters. We modified the internal mechanism of the "clockwork" slightly such that the natural frequency and the internal damping could be independently tuned. A photodiode array based position detection system driven by a microcontroller was devised to record the instantaneous angular position of each oscillator. This data was used to plot the phase diagrams and extract the phase relation between the two oscillators. I will discuss the results and a mathematical model of non-linear coupled oscillators within which the results can be understood - finally I will discuss the potential significance of this problem.About the Speaker: K Das Gupta did his Bachelor's degree in Physics from Presidency College Kolkata and thereafter moved to IISc Bangalore. After his PhD he worked as a research associate in Semiconductor Physics group of Cavendish Laboratory University of Cambridge. He joined IITB (Physics) in 2011 and started setting up a laboratory for Low temperature transport in Quantum Hall and mesoscopic systems. He is also interested in exploring the potential of diamond as a high temperature semiconductor physics of coupled oscillators and developing small scale research instrumentation.
Note: This seminar is mandatory for those registered in CL 702/704.